Newbury Town Council elects Andy Moore as the town’s new mayor in civic mayor making ceremony at the Corn Exchange on Sunday, May 12
Newbury has elected its new mayor for the coming year.
Andy Moore became the town’s new mayor for 2024/25 at Newbury Town Council’s annual mayor making event on Sunday, May 12.
The civic ceremony took place in the Corn Exchange, and more than 200 people made up of council members, local dignitaries, community organisation representatives, and friends and family members of councillors were in attendance.
Mr Moore said: “I am honoured and humbled and will do my very best to do justice to this historic role.”
Before the ceremony, there was a procession from the town hall to the theatre which contained the town council, the town marshal and macebearers.
The ceremony began with Newbury’s town crier Brian Sylvester beginning mayor making proceedings for the final time, as he has recently decided to retire from the post.
The outgoing mayor Nigel Foot then made a speech in which he shared his highlights during his year in charge, offering thanks to those that have supported him and revealing that the council had raised £2,478.11 for West Berkshire Homeless, Mr Foot’s chosen mayoral charity for 2023/24.
Following this, councillors Elizabeth O’Keeffe and Ian Jee expressed their delight in proposing Mr Moore as the mayor of Newbury for the municipal year 2024/25.
Mr Moore was then elected, and he was dressed in the mayoral robes removed from Mr Foot, before Mr Foot then invested the new mayor with the chain of office.
During his acceptance speech, Mr Moore announced that he was looking forward to his year ahead in office and that his chosen charity would be West Berks Foodbank.
He also formally invested his wife Sheila Moore as the lady mayoress, and David Harman was elected to support him in the role of deputy mayor.
Following the conclusion of the mayor making ceremony, a procession formed up outside the town hall and travelled to St Nicolas Church for a civic service led by Rev Will Hunter Smart, the mayor’s newly appointed chaplain.
